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Abstract

Intense salmon farming regimes in Norway have resulted in hundreds of thousands of salmon escaping each year. These domesticated salmon have been selectively bred for generations and therefore have the potential to genetically infiltrate wild population’s causing gene flow, out breeding depression and ultimately a decline in stocks. Triploidization has become a popular method for inducing sterility into large batches of salmon. This study investigated the effects of triploidization on Atlantic salmon and Atlantic salmon x Arctic char hybrid. Part one of the experiment investigated the effect of incubation temperature on triploid salmon with regards to vertebra number and deformity prevalence, while part two investigated the effect of triploidization on Atlantic salmon x Arctic char hybrid with regards to meristic characteristics. The goal of the study is to help identify rearing conditions for triploid Atlantic salmon that would reduce the presence of deformities and determine the effect of triploidization on salmonid hybrid morphology. The results of this study suggest that incubating triploid embryos at lower temperatures will reduce the prevalence of vertebrae deformities. I also found that hybrid morphology of triploid fish is expressed in a non-linear fashion with regards to genetic contribution. This study assists in the understanding of triploidization in hopes that one day the procedure will be a standard in European salmon farming regimes.